This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Becky Morton & Laura KuenssbergBBC PoliticsA minister has defended the government’s record on the NHS, after a former Conservative MP defected to Labour. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Dr Dan Poulter said he could not look his NHS colleagues and patients in the eye and stay on as a Conservative MP. Home Office Minister Chris Philp denied the Tories were deprioritising the NHS. He added that more was being spent on the health service than at any point in history. On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Dr Poulter, who works part time as a consultant psychiatrist, said the health service was now “unrecognisable” from how it was before he became an MP in 2010 and “patients deserve better”. The MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich added that Labour had a “track record” of improving the NHS and could be “trusted” with the health service. Conservative MP Dan Poulter defects to LabourConservatives left ‘speechless’ after MP’s defectionResponding to Dr Poulter’s resignation, Mr Philp told the programme: “I don’t accept what Dan is saying at all.”We’re now spending £165bn a year on the NHS, that’s more than ever, at any point in history.”He added: “That isn’t the sign of a party de-prioritising the NHS. That is a sign of a political party, the Conservatives, investing heavily in our NHS because it is a priority.”He insisted the Conservatives did value public services and was investing “record amounts of money in both education and health”. Mr Philp also argued NHS waiting lists were now coming down despite the challenges of the pandemic and strike action. Dr Poulter said he had “no animus” towards Prime Minster Rishi Sunak but was critical of the direction of his former party.”We now have a Tory Party that resembles sometimes a little bit more a nationalist national party, rather than a party of the centre-right,” he said.Labour PartyIt is the third Conservative defection since 2019. Lee Anderson who sat briefly as an independent joined Reform last month and Christian Wakeford left the Conservatives for the Labour Party in 2022.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed Dr Poulter’s defection, saying “it’s time to end the Conservative chaos”. Asked whether he was offered anything to join Labour, such as a seat in the House of Lords, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told the programme: “Not that I’m aware of.”He said very clearly to me when I was talking to him this week about how he might help, he’s going back to the NHS full-time when Parliament is dissolved, which can’t come soon enough as far as we’re concerned.”Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said the defection was “another blow to Rishi Sunak’s authority”. “Former lifelong Conservative voters are turning away from this government because they can see the damage done to the NHS from years of neglect,” she said. “In many parts of the country these people are switching …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Becky Morton & Laura KuenssbergBBC PoliticsA minister has defended the government’s record on the NHS, after a former Conservative MP defected to Labour. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Dr Dan Poulter said he could not look his NHS colleagues and patients in the eye and stay on as a Conservative MP. Home Office Minister Chris Philp denied the Tories were deprioritising the NHS. He added that more was being spent on the health service than at any point in history. On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Dr Poulter, who works part time as a consultant psychiatrist, said the health service was now “unrecognisable” from how it was before he became an MP in 2010 and “patients deserve better”. The MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich added that Labour had a “track record” of improving the NHS and could be “trusted” with the health service. Conservative MP Dan Poulter defects to LabourConservatives left ‘speechless’ after MP’s defectionResponding to Dr Poulter’s resignation, Mr Philp told the programme: “I don’t accept what Dan is saying at all.”We’re now spending £165bn a year on the NHS, that’s more than ever, at any point in history.”He added: “That isn’t the sign of a party de-prioritising the NHS. That is a sign of a political party, the Conservatives, investing heavily in our NHS because it is a priority.”He insisted the Conservatives did value public services and was investing “record amounts of money in both education and health”. Mr Philp also argued NHS waiting lists were now coming down despite the challenges of the pandemic and strike action. Dr Poulter said he had “no animus” towards Prime Minster Rishi Sunak but was critical of the direction of his former party.”We now have a Tory Party that resembles sometimes a little bit more a nationalist national party, rather than a party of the centre-right,” he said.Labour PartyIt is the third Conservative defection since 2019. Lee Anderson who sat briefly as an independent joined Reform last month and Christian Wakeford left the Conservatives for the Labour Party in 2022.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed Dr Poulter’s defection, saying “it’s time to end the Conservative chaos”. Asked whether he was offered anything to join Labour, such as a seat in the House of Lords, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told the programme: “Not that I’m aware of.”He said very clearly to me when I was talking to him this week about how he might help, he’s going back to the NHS full-time when Parliament is dissolved, which can’t come soon enough as far as we’re concerned.”Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said the defection was “another blow to Rishi Sunak’s authority”. “Former lifelong Conservative voters are turning away from this government because they can see the damage done to the NHS from years of neglect,” she said. “In many parts of the country these people are switching …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
